Pressure for change, despite unity agreement

By Alex Bell
29 January 2009

The pressure on African leaders who have so far allowed Robert Mugabe to cling to power, appears set to remain firm, despite Morgan Tsvangirai apparently agreeing to form a unity government with the ageing dictator by mid-February.

The weeks leading up to Monday’s SADC summit in South Africa saw pressure continue to build, with human rights groups, high profile activists and international leaders declaring their outrage about the ongoing rights abuses still taking place in Zimbabwe. This week the European Union strengthened its list of targeted sanctions against the Mugabe regime and even newly inaugurated US President Barack Obama was reportedly planning tougher action against Mugabe and his cronies.

At the same time, South African activists and Zimbabwean solidarity groups in that country pledged their commitment to a rolling hunger strike, in solidarity with the Zimbabwean people to protest inaction over the crisis. The coalition of groups and individuals, under the banner of the Save Zimbabwe Now campaign, took to the streets outside the venue of the summit on Monday to air their grievances and hand a petition to SADC leaders. But the action ended in violence when South African police used force and a spray of rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. The delegation set to deliver the petition was also forced into police vans and taken away from the talks venue.

Included in a list of demands stipulated by the Save Zimbabwe Now campaign was the formation of a unity government, but the group’s action is set to continue, despite the outcome of the talks. A new branch of the campaign is being launched in South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal province on Friday and the Honorary President of the World Alliance for Citizen Participation, Kumi Naidoo, is now set to take the appeal for change in Zimbabwe further. Naidoo, who is more than a week into his 21 day hunger strike, will be addressing leaders at the AU summit on Sunday about Zimbabwe’s crisis. Members of the international public are now also being urged to pledge to a one day fast on Sunday to give power to Naidoo’s words.

The pledge, which is also being supported by Avaaz.org, a global campaigning organisation, has already seen more than 16 000 people commit to the one day fast.